Coffee-cleaner.



No. 739,184. PATBNTBD MAY 9, 1905.

C. H. STUBBS.

COFFEE CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 4, 1904.

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PATENT-ED MAY 9, 1905.

(LH. STUBBS. COFFEE CLEANER.

APPLIoATIoN FILED PEB. 4, 1904.

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Patented May 9, 1905.

S UNTTan STATES PATENT Ormea.

CHARLES H. STUBBS, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

COFFEE-CLEANER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 789,184, dated May 9,1905.

Application filed February 4, 1904. Serial No. 191,940.

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Be it known that I, CHARLES H. S'rUBBs, a citizen of the United States,residing vin the city and county of San Francisco, State of California,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coffee Cleaners;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same.

My invention relates to the general class of cleaning' machines orapparatus in which the material is subjected to agitation and resultingfriction to remove from its surface any deleterious coating, which afterremoval is separated from the material, leaving the latter clean.

My invention is particularly applicable to the cleaning of coffee, inwhich connection, though I do not confine myself thereto`, I shalldescribe it.

Some coifees,notably that which cornes from Salvador, Central America,has upon it a coating which to the trade is known as gold skin or redskin. The presence of this skin is disadvantageous in that in a mixturewith coffee which is' free from it roasting is not uniform, because thisskin or coating prevents those berries having it from roastingas quicklyas those which are free from it, and therefore if the roasting becontinued only long enough to properly finish the latter berries theformer will not be roasted enough and ifthe heat be applied for a timesuflicient to properly roast the berries having the skin those free fromit will be roasted too much. Thus the roasting is uneven. It thereforebecomes important to remove this gold skin, and this it is the object ofmy invention to attain, with due regard in all respects to the nature ofthe material operated upon.

My invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement, andcombinations of the parts of the machine or apparatus which I shall nowdescribe.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation,partly broken, of my machine. Fig. 2 is an end elevation, the ends beingremoved to see the interior and the initial cylinder being in crosssection. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation, partly broken. Fig. 4f is a brokensection of the final polishingcylinder. Fig. 5 is a view of one of thedirecting-blocks q of the polishing-cylinder.

A is the general frame of the machine,which supports the several parts'.In the upper portion of one side of this frame is mounted anon-rotatable cylinder B, with which, at or near one end, a feed-hopperCcommunicates. The cylinder B is impervious and is preferably made insemicylindrical sections, hinged as shown at I) in Fig. 2, whereby onesectionsay the loweremay be dropped to afford access to the interior.The cylinder B is best made with a gradually-increasing diameter fromits hopper or receiving end to its discharge end, as seen in Fig. I, inorder to assist bygravity the flow of material through it.

Within the bottom of the cylinder are the fixed teeth b in several rowsand arranged relatively out of line or staggering to present a diagonalpattern like a multiplex thread in direction. Passing through thecylinder is a rotatable shaft b2 to a pulley b, on which suitable powermaybe applied. Upon this shaft are secured the teeth b3, disposedspirally in a number of rows around the shaft. These teeth are of shapeand length to pass between the fixed teeth L of the cylinder, and thedirection of revolution is such as to feed or advance the material fromthe hopper end of the cylinder to the discharge end.

In frame A, below the cylinder B, is a cylinder D, the first of thescreen series. This cylinder is pervious, its periphery being formed ofscreen material, the mesh of which, it may be stated at this point, isfiner or smaller than that of succeeding screens. The cylinder Dismounted upon end journals Z in a manner adapting it to be rotated bysuitable connections, for which purpose I have here indicated a sprocket(Z upon its journal, to which a chain may be applied. Through thecylinder D extends a shaft am, adapted to be rotated by suitablemeans-as, for example, by power applied to a pulley Z3 upon it. Thisshaft within the cylinder carries stirrer-blades d", Fig. 2, slightlyspirally directed and carried by spiders d5. Between the discharge endof the cylinder B and the adjacent end of the screen-cylinder D there isa communication in the shape of a chute or TOO vp lied through asprocket f.

pipe E. Within this chute, as seen in Fig. 1, is seated a gate e,automatically controlled by a shiftable weight c on its handle. By theadjustment of this weight the g'ate may be caused to yield to more orless pressure, thereby regulating the flow of material through thechute.

Within the cylinder B, near its discharge end and above itscommunication with the chute E, is a directing or guard plate to guidethe material to the chute.

In frameA, below the screen-cylinder D, is asecond screen-cylinder F, inall respects like the cylinderk D, except that the mesh of its screen islarger or coarser than that of said cylinder D. This secondscreen-cylinder F is rotatable upon end journals f by power ap- Throughit passes a shaft f 2, to be rotated by power applied to a pulley f3,and said shaft carries a stirrer composed of blades fi and spiders f5.

Between screen cylinders D and F is a communicating chute E', which, itwill be seen, is located at the end opposite to chute E.

In frame A, below screen-cylinder F, is a third screen-cylinder G, themesh of which is still larger or coarser than the mesh of cylinder F.This cylinder G is rotatable upon end journals g by power applied tosprocket g. Upon the shaft g2, which passes through the cylinder and isrotated by power applied to pulley g3, is a stirrer composed of bladesgt and spiders. g5.

Between cylinders F and G, at their ends opposite to the chute E, is achute E2, while at the other end of cylinder G is a spout H, whichdischarges into a bin I. With this spout H a connection, such as z., toa suctionfan (unnecessary to show) may be made.

Between screen-cylinders D and F and between F and G aredelecting-plates J, which direct the screenings laterally to find theirway down to the receiving-space a in the frame below the cylinder G.

From the bin l rises an elevator K, Fig. 1, which at its top dischargesinto a hopper L, Fig. 3, said hopper discharging into the first of theseries of cooling-cylinders. This first cylinder (designated by M) ismounted in frame A and is non-rotatable and impervious, being'best madeof wood. Through it eX- tends a shaft m, adapted to. be rotated by powerapplied to a pulley on. Upon this shaft are spirally-directed blades m2,Fig. 2, carried by spiders m3 and adapted to gently stir and advance thematerial.

Below cylinder M is a second cooling-cylinder N, non-rotary andimpervious and having the shaft n, with pulley n' and blades a2 andspiders n3, all similar in construction and arrangement to thecorresponding parts of cylinder M. In like manner below cylinder N is athird and similar cooling-cylinder O, with its shaft o, pulley o',blades 02, and spiders 03.

-into the receiving end of the cylinder B.

At the end of cylinder M opposite that atk which hopper L is located achute P, Fig. l, connects said cylinder with the adjacent end ofcylinder N. The cylinder N is at its opposite end connected with theadjacent end of cylinder O by a chute P, and at the opposite end saidlast-named cylinder is connected by a chute P2 with the iinal cylinderQ. This last-named cylinder is an impervious one and is mountedrotatably in the frame A and may have suitable means, such as pulley q2,to operate it. This cylinder, which is the linal polisher, has upon itsinterior the spirallydisposed directing-blocks q, which advance thematerial to the discharge end, from which it is delivered through aspout q into any suitable receptable, such as the bin I.

The operation of the machine or apparatus is as follows: Thecoffee,mixed with damp sawdust to slightly dampen it, is fed from hopperC In this cylinder, by the action of the teeth t and b3, the colfee isrubbed to break and remove the larger part of the gold skin and isadvanced both by gravity and by the teeth to the discharge end.Thefunction of the sawdust is three-fold: It loosens the skin bydampening the berry, it augments the friction, and it serves as acushion to prevent crushing injury to the berry. The coffee and sawdustand the rubbed-oft' skins now pass together through chute E intocylinder D. In this cylinder the materialis subjected to considerableagitation and to friction also. In practice to augment these effects thecylinder D is made to rotate in a direction opposite to the direction ofrotation of its stirrer-blades di. The speed of rotation of the cylinderis relatively to that of the stirrer very slow-say, for example, theformer being twelve to the minute and the latter four hundred. Twoeffects are produced in this cylinder. The extreme rotary agitationincreases the eiiciency of the sifting or screening action of thecylinder, and the friction rubs olf more of the skin, portions of whichstill remain in the folds and creases of the berries. The object ofhaving a smallmesh screen in this cylinder is to prevent a too greatsifting discharge of the sawdust, which is still required in greaterpart as a rubber IOO and as a protecting-cushion against injury duethence into cylinder G is subjected once more to the same or similaroperations, and the screen of said cylinder being coarser still almostall of the sawdust and refuse will sift through. What little remains maybe sucked out by the fan connection .L as the coee passes through spoutH to the bin I. As the coffee advances it gets a little drier and hasless tendency to break even though the sawdust is being lessened inquantity. In this series ofl operations the coffee having been subjectedto a rather violent friction is per-l ce'ptibly warmed, and it istherefore necessary to cool it. From bin I it is taken by the elevator Kup to the hopper L, by which it is delivered into the firstcooling-cylinder M. In this cylinder, which, being made of wood, is apoor conductor of heat and cold, it is gently agitated by thecomparatively slowly rotating blades mi?, which polishes it somewhat andadvances it to the chute P, by which it is delivered into the secondcooling-cylinder N, by which after similar treatment it is delivered tothe third cooling-cylinder O. in this it is similarly treated, and beingnow cooled and pretty thoroughly polished it is delivered into the finalrotating polisher Q, in which it is fully polished, and is advanced bythe blocks q to the discharge-spout q.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A coffee-cleaner comprising an initial rubbing device, a succeeding'series of screencylinders communicating with said rubbing device andwith each other at successively opposite ends, a rotating stirrer ineach screen-cylinder, a succeedingseries of' impervious coolercylinderscommunicating with each other at successively opposite ends, means forconveying the material from the last ofl the screencylinders to thefirst of' the cooler-cylinders, and a final polishing-cylindercommunicating with the last of' the cooler-cylinders.

2. A coffee-cleaner comprising an initial rubbing device, a succeeding'series of screencylinders communicating with said rubbing device andwith each other at successively opposite ends, a rotating stirrer ineach screen-cylinder, asucceedingseries of impervious coolercylinderscommunicating with each other at successively opposite ends, rotarystirrers in each cooling-cylinder, means for conveying the material fromthe last ofl the screen-cylinders to the first of the cooler-cylinders,and a final rotatable polishingcylinder communicating with the last ofthe cooler-cylinders.

3. A coffee-cleaner comprising an initial rubbing device, asucceedingseries of rotatable screen-cylinders communicating withsaid rubbingdevice and with each other at successively opposite ends, said cylindershaving a mesh increasing in coarseness from the first to the last of theseries, anl independently-rotatable stirrer in each screen-cylinder, asucceeding series of' impervious cooler-cylinders communicating witheach other at successively opposite ends, rotary stirrers in eachcooling-cylinder, means for conveying the material from the last of thescreen-cylinders to the first of the cooler-cylinders, and a finalrotatable polishing-cylinder communicating with the last of' thecooler-cylinders.'

4. A coffee-cleaner comprising an initial rubbing device consisting ofan impervious cylinder having a series of fixed teeth upon its interiorand a rotatable series of' teeth meshing with said fixed teeth, asucceeding series of' rotatable screen-cylinders communicating with saidrubbing device and with each other at successively opposite ends, saidcylinders having a mesh increasing in coarseness from the first to thelast of the series, an independently-rotatable stirrer in eachscreen-cylinder, a succeeding series of impervious cooler-cylinderscommunicating with each other at successively opposite ends, rotarystirrers in each cooling-cylinder, means for conveying the material fromthe last of the screen-cylinders to the first of the cooler-cylinders,and a final rotatable polishing-cylinder communicating with the last ofthe cooler-cylinders.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

CHARLES H. STUBBS.

Vitnesses:

WALTER F. VANE, D. B. RICHARDS.

